A Life Thread Re-Seeded

I have always considered myself a writer and I have several manuscripts to show for a time in my life when I thought an Editor might take a chance on a writer named Shelley Kassian. The publishing world has changed since I wrote my first stories, nearly twenty years ago, and it’s only been a few years since I rediscovered my seeds.

My writing life resumed during the 2009 year when Scarlett, Ruby and Rose, three fictional characters, weaved a plot into my life. When I first heard their voices, I was employed at a Canadian bookstore and was not pursuing a writing career. However, as three characters visited my dreams and spoke to me in whispers, seeds began to grow.

I had the pleasure to see Oprah Winfrey in Calgary on January 24, 2013. It was an awe-inspiring evening. She talked about the “life thread,” and told the audience that if we followed our threads, we would discover our life calling. I valued the moment when she said that “we are tiny seeds born from the ocean and washed up onshore, but we forget that we were ever born from the sea.” She named this deep seeded voice that speaks to us in whispers.

Deep inside my soul, I remembered. Within my heart, I heard this thought, “I am a writer.” Scarlett, my yet unrecognized character seemed to whisper, “write my story.”

When my youngest daughter graduated from University in the spring of 2013, I was writing again. I watched her collect her graduation gown, celebrate her success with friends, and walk across the stage to accept her Degree. I heard a louder voice within myself cry out, and the desire to go to school and formulize my educational needs became a goal. This was my “aha” moment. Soon after, I registered at Mount Royal University to take the Professional Editing Certificate. However, how would I achieve this education and a writing career given the time required, when my day job had requirements, too. This is when the walls of my life began to shake.

We don’t always recognize our life purpose, or even have the time to explore our goals until an event kicks us in the shins or a brick comes flying through our window. An upsetting discussion, held within a manager’s office, destroyed my passion for my job to such an extent that I left the company’s employment. Now, I’m not a quitter. I gave this job almost ten years of my time, but I had planted seeds and these seeds required nourishment. I should thank the manager who rebuked me because this unkind person was the brick and mortar, and stimulus that enabled a new journey to begin.

At the time of writing this blog, I had completed 30,000 words in the novel The Scarlett Mark. I have since completed my learning and received a Professional Editing Certificate and a career as an author, freelance editor, and story teller. What I know for sure is that all goals are possible when we have the courage to explore our threads. I am excited to report that Shelley Kassian, a life thread, is re-seeded!

The Scarlett Mark was published in May 2015. The Ebony Queen, the second volume of the Odin Saga, followed a year later. A Lasting Harmony, book 5 in the Thurston Hotel Series, a contemporary romance written in conjunction with eleven other authors, was published in October 2016. A Sacrifice for Love, a historical romance, was published in May 2017. I’m happy to report, seeds have grown into words that have become four novels. I’m on my way! 🙂